Ukrainian crisis should be settled peacefully – Armenia's premier

YEREVAN, March 24. /ARKA/. The Ukrainian crisis should be resolved through a peaceful dialogue and negotiations based on the international laws, Armenia's premier Tigran Sargsyan said at the summit of the European People's Party in Brussels.

The Ukrainian crisis is a serious challenge to the stability in the region, the premier said.

Facing serious security challenges in a complicated geopolitical environment Armenia has been always supporting peaceful settlement of disputes and crises, Sargsyan said as quoted by the government press office.

In this connection, the premier said, Armenia has the sensitive issue of the Karabakh conflict and adheres to principles announced by the OSCE Minsk Group – non-use of force, territorial integrity and the right of national to self-determination.

Sargsyan said expanding relations with one partner should not affect the relationship with others. He stressed Armenia will continue harmonizing tis interests.

«We strive to be a bridge tying our partners, but not a place of collision of their interests. This was the principle we used in making the decision to join the Customs Union», the premier said. Yet, Armenia kept saying its relations with the EU remain a foreign policy priority, Sargsyan said.

In a telephone conversation on March 19, Armenian and Russian presidents, Serzh Sargsyan and Vladimir Putin, said the referendum in Crimea in which about 96 percent of eligible citizens voted to split from Ukraine, was another example of people's rights to self-determination through free expression of will. The sides also stressed the importance of adherence to the international law principles and the UN Charter in particular. –0--